Harlow thief who stole £5,000 from elderly and disabled people jailed
Zabe distracted people using cashpoints, before stealing their cards
A Harlow man has been jailed for three and a half years, after stealing around £5,000 from elderly and vulnerable people.
27 year old Adeel Zabe, of Bishopsfield, was found guilty of three counts of theft, four counts of fraud by false representation and burglary earlier this year.
He stole debit and credit cards from four people in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire before using them to withdraw cash.
He targeted his first victim in Hertfordshire in August 2019, offering to help them withdraw money before pocketing their card.
He later called the victim claiming to be from the council and promising to return the card, which he claimed had been swallowed by the card machine.
He eventually withdrew £1,000 from his victim's accounty.
He repeated the same truck on three further occasions in Ely, Sutton and Cambridge.
Zabe was arrested in London in April 2020 and was convicted at Peterborough Magistrates Court.
DC Henry Longhurst of Cambridgeshire Police said: “Zabe preyed on the vulnerable for his own financial gain. It’s an astoundingly shameless and cowardly crime which leaves victims feeling frightened and exposed.
“He has been remorseless throughout and I am pleased he has faced justice.”